


Nothing Without You

by LionBadger



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: (Is there even a difference?), Be gentle, Collection of one-shots/drabbles/ficlets, Daniel and Max being Daniel and Max, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, I'm new to the fandom, Just whatever my brain gives me, M/M, i like to hurt my characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-03-17 05:27:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18958798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionBadger/pseuds/LionBadger
Summary: Just short stories from my brain. I'm new to this whole Formula 1 thing, and fell in love with these dorks instantly. Always open to prompts and suggestions.





	1. Back to You

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or prompts you would like to see featuring Daniel and Max, drop them in the comments below! Any and all feedback is appreciated!

"So, Daniel, we've just spoke to Max, up the grid there, and he shared with us some of his pre-race ritual. It sounds like there's something in it that's from your Red Bull days. Do you want to share your part of the story?" Will holds out the microphone to the smiling Australian, who's sprawled out by the wall under an umbrella waiting to get in his car.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Before every race, I text Max "Good luck, have fun, be careful." and he sends it back to me in Dutch. When I was at Red Bull, it was like a toast with our water bottles before we came out on the grid. Obviously, now I'm not with Red Bull, so we text instead."

Will looks at him with a puzzled expression, "Isn't it a bit strange to be wishing your competition good luck?"

Daniel rolls his eyes a bit and chuckles, "I'm sure there are people who think that. But I always want everyone to do their best. I don't want to drive against people who aren't giving it everything. I want to race with, and beat, the best there are at their best. And, on top of that, different team aside, Max is my best friend, so of course I want him to do well."

"Well, I guess that settles it then. Have a great race, Daniel, and we'll catch up with you after."

"Thanks, Will!" And with that, Daniel pops his headphones back in and turns his attention to his phone. 

He thinks of all the things he didn't tell Will about that pre-race ritual. The origin is true, it did start as a kind of toast, during Max's first season with him at Red Bull. It was the last thing he said to Max before the then 18 year old had climbed into his car that first race. When Max had swooped in and snatched the victory, Daniel had joked that he was Max's good luck charm, and the tradition had been born.

What he didn't tell Will is how the ritual goes these days. How he presses these wishes for Max into his skin in the early morning light in one of their hotel rooms before they have to head to the track. How Max returns the wishes in softly spoken Dutch and even softer touches. Daniel still sends a text once they're out on the grid waiting for the race to start, always receiving the same words back, just a little reminder of the morning. 

Before he knows it, it's time to slide into the car. He's starting from 7th today, not bad, all things considered. Max is up in fourth, and Daniel's goal is to make it up to him and have a fun little race with his ex-teammate and current boyfriend. The lights go off, and Daniel gets off to a hell of a start, passing Romaine and Seb and Valterri like they aren't even moving, the overtakes smooth and easy. He sees a Ferrari ahead and smirks under his helmet. Max has gotten off well too.

"Awesome start, Dan! Up ahead, you've got Lewis in the lead, then Max, then Charles. Superb start, mate." The voice of his race engineer crackles in his ear, and Dan just laughs in response. 

It takes a few laps, but finally Charles makes a mistake, leaving a hole just big enough for Daniel to slide his Renault through. And just like that, he's got Max in front of him. Not for the first time, he wishes they were still on the same team, because there's nothing Daniel misses more about Red Bull than racing Max in the same car, always trying to stay ahead of each other. 

He and Max trade places a couple of times in the next couple of laps, just genuinely enjoying racing each other. Lewis has an obscene gap, and the rest of the pack are a few seconds behind them, so they have the space to go at each other with everything they have.

They're 10 laps from the end when the absolute unthinkable happens. Max is out in front of him again, having just snatched the position back, when he hits a piece of debris on the track. His left front tire shreds, and the back one practically explodes. Daniel watches in horror as Max's car goes airborne, flipping and rolling over and over and over until it finally comes down on its side.

Daniel doesn't even realize that he's stopped his car until he's unhooking his harness and shutting down the engine. Cyril is screaming in his ear, but all Daniel can hear is the sickly moan of Max's engine, confirming Daniel's assumption that his boyfriend was unconscious. If Max had been awake, the car would be dead, Max knows the risks. The reek of fuel and the sight of a puddle forming under Max's twisted car force Daniel to add even more speed to his already breakneck sprint.

Daniel reaches the car, his knees slamming into the not so soft turf. Max is out cold, one arm flopped out on the ground, head lolling to the side, one arm stuck under him. Daniel makes quick work of shutting the car down, and, once that's done, wastes no time freeing Max from his harness. Sliding his hands under Max's arms, Daniel heaves him out of the wreckage and scoops him up bridal style, heading for the wall, wondering where everyone is.

He's just cleared the wall cradling Max to his chest when something tells him to get down. He crotches down, tucking Max close to him, and hears Max's car burst into flames. He finally sees the safety crew coming, thank god. Max is still unconscious, and Daniel is terrified at the thought of how injured the younger man might be. He knows that you're really not supposed to move people after an accident like that, but his drive to get Max out of that car had been overpowering, and he was glad, because he could feel the heat from the burning husk of the Red Bull car.

A couple of medics finally reach them, laying a backboard on the grass. One places his hand on Dan's shoulder, and Dan knows they need him to put Max down now. So he does, just sits his boyfriend down on the bold orange board, and follows closely as the medics shepherd Max's too still form to the waiting ambulance. They load Max in, and when Daniel goes to follow, someone motions him back.

Daniel snarls, shoving the man's hand off his arm, and growls out "I am going with him, and you are not going to stop me." The medic looks shocked, but steps to the side, allowing the worried driver through.

They have Max's helmet off and a neck brace already on when he gets in, and Daniel can't help the gasp that escapes his lips at the sight of Max's face. There's a small trickle of blood coming from his nose, and his face is even paler than usual. Daniel collapses into a seat, reaching out to hold his boyfriend's hand. It's limp, and it's weird to feel Max's calloused hand with no grip.

The medic cutting off Max's racing suit catches Dan's eye, "I'm Jefferson, I'm an ex-army medic, and I'm going to take really good care of him." Daniel likes the man immediately. Jefferson's trauma shears snip through the tough fabric like it's nothing, peeling away first the racing suit, and then Max's fireproof shirt. Daniel feels his breath leave him again at the sight of the deep black bruising on his boyfriend's typically flawless pale chest. The outline of the harness is obvious on Max's skin, and Daniel is overwhelmingly grateful for the straps that almost definitely saved Max's life.

Jefferson is feeling his way down Max's side, and turns to Daniel with a satisfied nod, "Feels like 4 broken ribs, but I don't feel any fluid anywhere in his chest or abdomen, so I don't believe there's any internal injuries. They'll confirm that at the hospital, of course, but I'm pretty confident. He's definitely got a concussion, but other than that, he looks pretty good."

"So, he's gonna wake up, right? He'll wake up and be ok?" Daniel swallows painfully, his eyes meeting Jefferson's. 

"I can't say with absolute certainty, but I think so. They'll do scans and tests at the hospital, check everything out, but I doubt there'll be lasting damage. He's your best friend, yeah?"

Daniel brings Max's limp hand up to his mouth and presses a kiss to the bruised knuckles, "He's my everything. And I need him to wake up so we can tell the world that, because we haven't, because we-no, I was scared of what would happen. But I don't care about any of it anymore, as long as he wakes up ok and I get to keep loving him."

The hand in his grip squeezes a little, and Daniel's eyes fly to Max's face. The blonde opens his eyes a little, before squeezing them shut again. "Dan-i-l?" Max's voice is raspy and sounds pained, but it's his voice. 

Daniel lets out a little sob, tightening his grip on Max's hand, "Yeah, baby, I'm here. It's ok, you're going to be ok."

"Hurts…" Max rasps, scrunching his nose up in pain.

"I know, baby. We'll get you something for that once we get to the hospital, we're almost there, you just rest." Dan reaches up to ruffle his hand through Max's sweat-wet hair. Max gives a stunted nod, almost enough to make his worried boyfriend giggle, and drops back to sleep.

The next time Max comes to, he feels a warm weight on his arm. He blinks his eyes open, the bright fluorescence of the room's lighting almost too much. He looks down at his arm and sees Dan, fast asleep with his face pillowed on Max's forearm. He drifts back to sleep feeling warm and safe, knowing that Daniel wouldn't let anything happen to him.

He wakes again to hushed voices, and opens his eyes just in time to see Pierre following someone who looks to be Cyril out of the room. Christian is standing near the end of the bed, he and Dan still locked in a whispered conversation. Max squeezes Dan's hand that's resting in his, and his boyfriend whips his head around to look at Max.

"Hey, baby. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Daniel's thumb runs circles on the back of Max's hand.

"Sore. Still tired. Confused about why you have on a Red Bull hoodie. Also, what happened, because last I remember is taking second back from you." Max wheezes out, his ribs hurt like hell.

"You hit a piece of something on the track, blew out 2 tires, went for a short flight, did some loop-de-loops, and then had a very hard landing. Don't worry, I saved you before the car caught on fire and ruined your pretty face." Daniel gives one of his million dollar smiles, sinking down into the chair next to the bed. The two are so wrapped up in each other that they don't notice Christian slip out of the room.

"And the hoodie? Did Christian bring you whatever clothes he could find?" 

Daniel laughs, "Nope, he just wanted me back in blue as soon as possible. Renault traded me back to Red Bull for Pierre. I think they both like the trade, French driver on a French team; and Cyril, well, let's just say he wasn't thrilled with my stopping in the middle of the race to play rescue. He understood why, and even compared me to Senna, but at the end of the day, I took myself out of a race where I could have finished on the podium, and he was less than pleased."

Max rolls his eyes, and quickly figures out that the action makes him a bit nauseous. "What an ass. We're teammates again?"

Daniel smiles, and leans up to plant a kiss on Max's lips, "Yeah, Maxie, we're teammates again."

It's a few months before Max is cleared to get back behind the wheel, and the young Dutchman thinks he might lose his mind before he can drive again. Daniel has been off kicking ass now that he's back at Red Bull where he belongs, and Max has been at home in Monaco, resting and training and impatiently waiting for the doctors to sign off on his return. When they finally do, Max is beside himself with excitement at the chance to get back on the road with his team. He flies in to meet them on Wednesday, to film a video for the team's YouTube channel. 

The video is a special edition of On The Couch with Max and Daniel, all about Max's return and the season so far. Max talks about recovering from his concussion and rib fractures, making sure to put emphasis on the fact that concussions are serious. He and Daniel talk about their relationship, and Dan tears up talking about pulling Max's limp body from the twisted frame of his car. They're nearing the end of the video, Daniel holding one last card with a last question for Max.

"Alright, last question. You ready, Maxie?" Daniel asks, smiling brightly.

"I am. Ask away, Daniel." Max replies, excepting the standard "How do you think the rest of the season is going to go for you?" He's shocked when, instead, Daniel slides off the couch and onto one knee, pulling a black velvet box out of nowhere and asks, "Max Emilian Verstappen, I have loved you for a very long time, and I want to love you for the rest of our lives, will you marry me?"

Max is struck speechless, and slides off the couch and into Daniel's arms. At some point he mumbles "yes" through the happy tears and kisses, just loud enough for his mic to pick up. Daniel gets a hold of his left hand just long enough to slide the plain looking silver band onto Max's finger. Later, when they're laying in bed, Daniel will show Max the inside of the band, engraved with their initials, and what must be hundreds of overlapping 3s, their numbers all mixed and scrambled together.

It's a surreal race weekend, with a million questions about their personal lives and very few about the race. Christian's answer quickly becomes an internet favorite when he answers a question about his thoughts on the relationship between his drivers with a shrug and just says, "Saves the team quite a bit of money on hotel fees." The weekend ends in a Red Bull 1-2, Max on the top step, and Daniel right beside him. It's an absolutely perfect end to the weekend, Christian showering them with champagne while they kiss, the taste of champagne and Daniel’s foot sweat heavy on their tongues, holding their trophies in the air.


	2. Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys outing themselves to the whole world all at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any prompts, inspiration, or just any comment is appreciated!

“Red Flag, Max. Red Flag. Slow down and bring it in safely, there’s debris on the track at turn six. Massive crash down there.” Max acknowledges the message and drops the speed of the car to a point that feels almost unnatural. 

He’s rounding turn five when he sees it. Pierre’s Red Bull is buried in the wall, mangled and twisted, but Max spots his teammate standing on the other side of the wall, getting looked over by marshals while they wait for the medical car. Max breathes a sigh of relief, which quickly turns into a strangled gasp when he sees the other car. Max can’t even tell what team it is, the car is laying on it’s side, tucked into the wall, marshals surrounding it. Then he catches sight of the nose of the car, snapped off and laying by the track. Black and yellow. Renault.  _ Dan? _

Max almost stops, almost gets out of his car to run to the broken shell of what could be Daniel’s car. But he knows that’s not what Daniel would want. Daniel is the one that insists on keeping their relationship out of the public eye. Max wants to scream from the rooftops, “I love Daniel Ricciardo and he loves me!”, but Daniel is worried that it’ll hurt their careers. Max’s specifically. Daniel isn’t too worried about himself, his career will come to an end long before Max’s, just because of age. Max gets annoyed every time they talk about it.

So Max continues to the grid, thoughts racing, hoping that Daniel is ok. Hoping that it isn’t Daniel, but unable to shake the heavy fear in the pit of his stomach. His mind races, praying that it isn’t Daniel, praying that he’s ok if it is, praying that the accident isn’t as bad as it looks. His mind wanders to his dreams of the future, of he and Daniel and a happy retirement; a home in the Netherlands, and at Daniel’s farm, splitting their time in between them; kids with Daniel, a little boy with Max’s blond hair and Daniel’s dark eyes, or a little girl with Max’s eyes and Daniel’s dark and wild curls, maybe both. Visions of holidays and race weekends spent watching the new kids race from the comfort of the paddock. Max knows that Daniel wants to maybe slide into a media role after retirement. Max would like to manage a team, be the next Christian. He prays that all this happens.

He brings the car to a stop in the grid, shutting it down and undoing his harness as fast as he can. He needs out of the car, needs to know what’s happened, if it’s Dan. He wiggles himself out of the cockpit, shedding gloves and helmet, shoving them into a crew member’s waiting hands. 

“Max! Max!” He whips his head around and there he is. Daniel. Max is so relieved to see his boyfriend sprinting to him, and starts running too. They meet halfway between their cars, not noticing everyone’s heads turn toward them curiously. Daniel crashes into him, hands coming up to Max’s face, Max’s hands tangling in Daniel’s sweaty curls. Their lips meet, and they kiss until they’re breathless. When they break apart, Daniel rests his forehead against Max’s.

“I’m so glad you’re ok. I couldn’t tell if it was you or Pierre, and Cyril was too busy checking on Nico, making sure he’s ok, and coordinating all that to tell me. God, Maxy, I was so scared that you might be hurt. I love you so much.” Words pour from Dan, and Max feels his cheeks getting wet with not only his own tears, but Daniel’s too.

“I was thinking the same. I was picturing all the things we still have to do together, and thinking about how much I love you, and I’m so glad you’re here and ok. I was so worried about you. I couldn’t even ask Christian, I was too scared of the answer.”  

Daniel catches Max’s lips again, one hand still pressed to the younger man’s face, one down on his hip to pull Max even closer. This time when they part, Max catches a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Across the track are the media crews. And all the cameras are pointed right at them.

“Um, Dan… We’re kissing. On the grid. The very live, very crowded grid.” 

Daniel’s head snaps up in shock, but he doesn’t take his hands off Max. Daniel meets Christian’s eyes, the Red Bull leader standing five feet behind his driver. Christian just gives him a fond smile, and a subtle thumbs up. Daniel turns his head to the left, makes eye contact with the cameras, flashes one of his signature smiles, and kisses Max again. Max is surprised, but melts into Daniel.

“I love you more than anything in the world. You mean more to me than my victories, more than a world championship, more than shoeys, and more than my career. So I don’t care. They can take as much video as they want, and I’ll give them as much interview time about it as they want, because I’m not scared to tell the world I love you. I’m so sorry that I ever was.”  Daniel mumbles his confession against Max’s lips.

Max gives a bright smile, ice blue eyes dancing, “I love you so much. Shall we get the interviews over with then?” 

“Ugh, yeah. Since Pierre and Nico are both fine, we’ll definitely be the talk of the paddock. But, we’ll get back to this at the hotel later?” Daniel asks, as if he doesn’t already know the answer.

“Of course, lieve. Let’s get this done.” The pair walk hand in hand into the media circus, all eyes on them, and almost no one catches Christian smile and wave to Cyril, who rolls his eyes and stomps back to his team’s garage, annoyed that his driver is still so clearly part of the Red Bull family.


	3. Out (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the grid smoochies comes the talking about the grid smoochies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little addition to the last chapter, hopefully a good one. Did everyone watch Monaco? Was anyone else yelling at the TV, hoping Max would get around Lewis? As always, any and all feedback is appreciated, comments give me life, and if anyone has anything they would like to see written, I'm open to suggestions.

“Hello, folks, and welcome to Paddock Pass. Today was...interesting, to say the least. All in all, a good race, once we got it finished, but there were some dramatic moments leading up to that. Let’s start off with what caused the red flag. Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly made contact  coming out of turn five, and had a rather terrifying crash. Now, both drivers are just fine, and we’ll be talking to them soon, but first, on to the biggest story of the day.” Will pauses at that, shaking his head a little, and continues, “It’s a bit strange to say that a monumental crash that stopped a race, or the red flagging of a race itself, isn’t the biggest story of the day. But, during that red flag, we saw something on the grid that Formula 1 has never seen before.”

The video cuts to a clip of Daniel and Max, arms tangled around each other, lips locked together, and everyone around them staring with looks of utter shock on their faces. The clip catches the moment they realized where they were and what they had just done, and Daniel’s defiant look at the camera, his signature grin, and that next kiss. It shows Max leaning into Daniel, letting the still smiling Australian support most of his weight. There’s a nice close up shot of Daniel’s hand gripping Max’s hip, and one of Max’s fingers tangled in Daniel’s hair.

“So, there you go. That, folks, is our biggest story of the day. Formula 1 has had an openly gay driver, the late Mike Beuttler, but we’ve certainly never had two, on the same grid, and in a relationship. Let’s go ahead and see what Daniel and Max had to say, in our impromptu press conference trackside today.”

This time, the video cuts to Will standing next to Max and Daniel, and the camera pans down to show the entwined hands of the drivers.

“So, you two, can you tell us when all this happened?” Will askes, holding out the microphone.

“Well, Will, it was the end of Max’s second season as my teammate, 2017, for those that are new, and I had been feeling some feelings, but was expertly shoving them down and ignoring them,” Daniel’s story is interrupted briefly by Max’s snort, “Don’t interrupt, dear. Anyway, I was actively ignoring all that, kept telling myself not to think about it, because Max was so young, and I didn’t know if he felt the same way, or if he would hate me for even thinking about it,” Max snorts again, “Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say now. And then, in Mexico, Max won, like a badass, and I retired, and I was pissy about it. And Max skipped out on some of the festivities and showed up at my hotel room, and I didn’t even want to answer the door, but I did. And he knew I was upset, and he didn’t talk about his win. We just ate oreos and watched some stupid movie on the couch, and finally, Max just said, “I’m sorry.” and then kissed me. Just kissed me, and then acted all surprised when I kissed him back. And then we made out all night like high schoolers, and I really don’t need people in the Youtube comments saying “Haha, that’s funny, because Max was practically a high schooler”, because I know, I felt real old, especially when I woke up on the couch and my back was killing me. But, I would like to point out that that was after his birthday, and he was 20, so yeah. Anyway, after that, the rest was history, we’ve been together ever since.” Daniel wraps up his story.

“Thank you for that, Daniel. A much more comprehensive answer than I expected. Max, do you have anything to add?” Will asks, cheeks a bit red, because this has to be one of the weirdest interviews he’s ever done.

“Not really, that’s how it happened. I probably would have left out some of those details, but Daniel is an oversharer, so, not surprised.” Max looks up at Daniel, a little smile on his face.

“So, two years together, how serious is this relationship?” Will asks.

Daniel rolls his eyes, and Max just shakes his head. “It’s two years, Will. It’s serious. We spend the off season together. We spend the season together, outside of team obligations, we live in the same apartment in Monaco, we’ve met each other’s families, and, and this one is really the cherry on top, Will,...” Daniel lifts their entwined hands up, and flicks his finger against one of Max’s bracelets. Will leans in for a closer look, and sees a thin gold band wrapped in the bracelet.

“Is that a wedding band?” He asks, shocked.

Max laughs, and presses a kiss to Daniel’s hand before answering, “No, not yet. It’s an engagement ring. So, I guess it’s pretty serious, Will.”

Will turns to the camera, eyes wide with shock, “You heard it here first, folks. Let’s go talk to Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, who I see just over there, because this is a lot to process. Christian! Was it a shock to you, Daniel and Max kissing on the grid?” Will and his cameraman rush to Christian, leaving a laughing Daniel and Max behind them.

“No. I knew about their relationship, first of all, and second, do you think we put them together in so many of our videos for ease of filming? They had obvious chemistry from day one. If anything, I’m surprised that so many people are surprised. Red Bull and all our sponsors stand behind Max, and it doesn’t cause any issues with his racing, so yeah, it’s great. And I know Cyril and Renault might be surprised, because I don’t think Daniel has really opened up to them yet, but I’m sure they’ll give him the same support as we give Max. And if they don’t, well, then Cyril and I will have to have a conversation. This has been great, Will, but I need to get back to the team, because this race will probably restart at some point, and I would like Max to win.” With that, Christian spins on his heel and heads into the garage.

The video cuts back to Will, “I know, an interesting, and long, Paddock Pass already, and we haven’t even gotten to the race, really. Let’s move on to the post race driver interviews, shall we? Which actually takes us back to Max, as the winner, and Daniel, second across the line today, both of them apparently energized by the events on the grid during the red flag.”

Daniel turns off the video, looking down at Max, who is sprawled out on the couch, head in Daniel’s lap. Max gives him a smile, and snuggles his face into Daniel’s hoodie.

“Love you.” Max mumbles, and Daniel can’t control the big smile that comes over his face. He runs his fingers through Max’s hair and tells Max that he loves him too. He switches the TV from Youtube to Netflix, and turns on The Office, just for background noise so he can focus all his attention on Max. The rest of the night is just spent snuggling and relaxing after a long race weekend, trophies in the corner glinting in the moonlight.


	4. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, less actual snow day, more Daniel reflecting on their relationship and hating the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a lot of liberties here, because I know Max has tiny siblings, and I also couldn't find anything about them, but I wanted children in this, and they were conveniently connected to Max. So yeah, hope everyone is ok with that. As always, I'm open to any feedback, and love comments. Oh, and I don't speak Dutch, so if the few words I used were wrong, I'm sorry, it was all Google had to offer me!

Daniel hates winter.  _ Hates _ it. He hates the snow, the cold, the ice. It’s gross, and he can’t stand it. But Max loves it. Absolutely  _ adores _ the whole mess. And Daniel’s only priority during the off season is keeping his husband happy, so here they are, in December, in the freaking Netherlands. They’ll head to Australia in a couple of weeks, to celebrate Christmas with Daniel’s family, but until then, Daniel is planted in front of the fireplace, wrapped in a huge blanket, and turned so he can see out the window. Max is having the time of his life in the yard, froliking in the thick snow that fell overnight, chasing his much younger siblings through the cold fluff.

Max had managed to convince Jos and the munchkins’ moms that he and Daniel were perfectly capable of keeping the little ones for a couple of days, happily stating that it was good practice for when they have their own kids. Jos had flinched a bit at that, but Max had been focused on the story Jaye was telling, and hadn’t seen it. Daniel had though. He would never get used to looking into eyes that were so much like Max’s and seeing the barely concealed disgust there. Jos hid it from Max so well that it almost scared Daniel. The man was an excellent liar. In a way, it showed Daniel that Jos must actually love Max, in his own weird and twisted way, because he wasn’t willing to risk his relationship with his son over Max being gay.

Daniel snaps out of his thoughts when the door opens, and he can hear snow boots and outer layers being shed in the entryway. Max better be keeping that mess on the rug and off Daniel’s hardwood floors. A blonde blur slams into him, and he has to catch himself and Jaye.

“Dan! Dan! Dan! Zul je- No, Engels, Jaye! Will play in the snow with us after lunch?” The little girl is practically vibrating with excitement, and how could he possibly say no to that?

“Of course! I can’t wait! I think we should bury Max in the snow, like we did on the beach in the summer, remember?” Daniel asks, noting the look of betrayal on the face of his husband, who’s now leaning against the doorframe, holding Jason’s little hand.

Jaye shrieks in excitement, “Ja, ja, ja!” 

“Awesome! Why don’t you take Jace to play in your room, and Max and I will go fix lunch? Then we can go outside.” Blonde pigtails bounce at lightning speed, and Jaye rushes to take Jace to play. Daniel stands, stretches, and makes his way to Max.

“‘Let’s bury Max in the snow!’ Wonderful idea, Daniel!” Max bitches, but his eyes are sparkling.

“Hey, you’re the one who likes this frozen wasteland. We could be sunning ourselves on the beach or doing something dumb on the farm, but someone wanted to play in the snow, so here we are.” Daniel opens his arms, blanket like a cape, and engulfs his husband. Max relaxes into Daniel’s warmth, pressing open mouthed kisses along Daniel’s scruffy jaw. He makes his way to Daniel’s lips, still surprised after years at the way kissing Daniel makes him feel. Daniel sinks his whole being into kissing Max, pouring everything he feels for his Dutchman into it. They break apart breathless, foreheads together, Daniel clutching Max tightly to him, Max’s hands tangled in Daniel’s curls.

“I love you more than anything. And, if you asked, I would happily move to the North Pole and live in the snow all the time. Just please don’t ask me, because I don’t want to.” Daniel smiles, giving Max a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. 

Max giggles, “I would never. You’re a summer boy.”

Daniel barks out a laugh at that, “I so am. Let’s go make lunch before the kiddos get hangry. Then we can get this snow torture over with.” Max laughs, and follows Daniel to the kitchen.

Much later, when the kids are in bed, Max curls up next to Daniel on the thick rug in front of the fireplace. Daniel cards his fingers through Max’s thick blond hair, and presses a kiss to his forehead. It’s a peaceful, quiet moment. Until ice cubes are suddenly pressed to his thigh and on his chest.

“Get your freezing fingers and toes off of me!” He shrieks, trying to wiggle away from the cold. Max has an iron grip on him though, and he can’t escape.

“It was your idea to bury me in the snow, now you get to deal with the consequences.” Max says, smugly, snuggling closer and closing his eyes.

Daniel melts a little at the sight of his sleepy husband, “Yeah, you got me there, I guess.” He presses another kiss to Max’s forehead and pulls him a little closer before closing his eyes.


	5. Concentration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the eventual smut the tags promised!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, three chapters in one day. But, I'm off and bored, and my creative juices are flowing. This is my first time writing the sexytimes, so let me know what you think, please!

They’re on their way home from the French Grand Prix, after an uneventful race weekend. Cyril had been surprised when Daniel had announced that he didn’t need a helicopter home to Monaco, that he would be driving home with Max, and that no, he didn’t need to borrow a Renault either, that they would be taking Max’s Aston. Christian had just smiled and waved at the sight of Daniel tossing his bag into Max’s car. Nothing new there.

Max is driving, one arm propped up on the door, window down, no cap on today, and he’s a couple of weeks late on his haircut schedule, so his hair is ruffling in the breeze. He’s driving with one hand, and his easy command of the Vantage is so hot that Daniel can barely handle it. It doesn’t help that Max has strayed from his usual dark color palette today and is wearing a bold, bright blue that makes his eyes damn near glow when the sun catches them. It’s fucking sinful, and Daniel is about to lose it.

They’re about an hour and a half from home when Daniel gets an idea. He scooches away from the window, closer to Max. He rests his arm on the center console, and lets his hand dangle over to brush Max’s thigh. After a few minutes, he slides his hand further up, and lets it rest firmly on Max’s inner thigh. Max glances over, but Daniel keeps his eyes fixed on the scenery flashing by, singing along to the radio. Daniel eventually starts moving his hand again, gently letting his pinkie trace the outline of Max’s cock. Max takes a sharp breath.

“Whatcha doing, babe?” He asks, glancing over at Daniel, who has a satisfied smirk on his face.

“I was just admiring how sexy you are when you drive. How controlled, how at ease. It’s so fucking hot how confident you are, you don’t even have both hands on the wheel. Don’t need ‘em, do you?  Makes me wonder just how far I could push you before that concentration breaks.” Daniel’s touches become firmer as he speaks, and if Max wasn’t aroused before, one look at Daniel would have pushed him over the edge. Dan’s pupils are blown, voice low and raspy, and the hand that’s been softly touching is now working on the button and zipper of Max’s shorts. Max is all at once thankful and regretful of the fact that he hadn’t bothered with underwear this morning. It’ll be a shame if he wrecks this $200,000 car because he was paying more attention to the hand around his cock.

“Daniel, babe, we’re almost home. We could do this there, in bed, where I probably won’t accidentally kill us in the process.” Max chokes out, bringing his left hand to the steering wheel too.

“I don’t think you will. I think you’re so good, that I could suck your dick until we get home, and you won’t kill us, and you won’t come either. And then, when we get home, you’re gonna fuck me so hard that I’ll feel it tomorrow. Think you can do it, Maxy? Think you can keep it together and drive us home while I swallow your cock?” Daniel breathes the last part into Max’s ear, and,  _ God _ , he could come just from that. Max swallows loudly, and just gives a sharp nod, not trusting his voice with Daniel stroking his dick. 

“Good boy. We can stop whenever you want, Maxy. Let me know if it gets to be too much.” And with that, Daniel is draped over the console, taking Max’s thick cock as deep into his mouth as he can. Max lets out a moan, and rolls up the window, reaching over to turn the air conditioning on. He’s glad he went with the darkest window tint offered when Aston asked him what he wanted. The streets of Monaco would be awkward otherwise. Max sounds like he’s in yoga class, deep breaths,  _ in, two, three, four, out, two, three, four _ , eyes locked on the road. Daniel’s tongue flicks over the head of his dick, and Max lets out a little whine. Hopefully Daniel won’t notice that Max is going just a little faster now. 

The feeling of Daniel’s hot tongue swirling around his cock is almost too much to bear. Max is so close to coming down Daniel’s throat, when Daniel squeezes tightly around the base of Max’s dick, and his building orgasm drops back a bit. God, Daniel is good at this. He hits the Monaco border, and within minutes, is pulling the car into the parking garage of their apartment building. The neighbors are going to hate him tonight, because he is going to make Daniel scream. Daniel is still working his cock when Max parks the car, and without the radio playing, Max can hear the obscene sounds of Daniel’s hot, wet mouth moving up and down on his cock. 

Max twists his hand in Daniel’s curls, and pulls gently, prompting his boyfriend to sit back up. Daniel looks around, and Max realizes that Daniel hadn’t realized they were home until now. He hurriedly tucks his still rock hard cock into his shorts, and leans over to whisper to Daniel.

“I can’t wait to get upstairs, because I’m so ready to fuck you until you scream. Why don’t you head upstairs and start getting ready? I’ll get the bags and be up in a minute.” Now it’s Daniel’s turn to moan and nod, and he bolts out the car and to the elevator. Max laughs, and gets out of the car, grabbing their bags before heading upstairs. He takes the stairs, because he plans to get crepes in the morning, and it’s never too early to walk off the carbs.

The apartment door is closed, but thankfully not locked when he gets to it, and he’s barely cleared the threshold, when he hears Daniel moaning. The sound sends another rush of blood south, and Max is even harder than before. He drops the bags in the hall, and starts stripping. He’s naked when he gets to the bedroom, one hand lazily stroking his cock while he takes in the scene on the bed. Daniel is nude, sprawled out on the bed, ass sticking up, and Max can see the glint of the butt plug he and Daniel had ordered on Amazon while they were in Australia last summer. He makes his way to the bed, and gently taps the plug.

“Look at you. Ready for me, baby? Should I take this out and fuck you? Is that what you want?” Max grips the end of the toy, working it out of Daniel and back in again. 

“Ple-please, Max, please fuck me. I need it.” Daniel sobs out. Max smooths a hand over Daniel’s ass, and yanks the plug out. Daniel cries out from the loss, arching up. Max catches him with an arm around the Australian’s lean body. Daniel is gorgeous like this, on his knees, ass out for Max, back arched so prettily, and head thrown back. Max wastes no time sliding Daniel onto his cock, letting him drop back down to the bed while Max sets a punishing pace. Daniel is a mess of moans and screams, body shaking with pleasure, and Max leans down to whisper in his ear. The motion takes him even deeper, and Daniel lets out a strangled gasp.

“You look so beautiful like this, baby. You take my cock so well, you’re doing so good, you can come whenever you want, Daniel.” 

“Not until you do.” Comes the barely there reply.

Max raises back up, and goes back to fucking Daniel through the mattress. There’s a few minutes of moaning, and Max feels his orgasm building. He reaches around to wrap his hand around Daniel’s weeping cock. Daniel whimpers, and, in just a few strokes, he comes with a cry in Max’s hand. Max follows quickly, the sight and sound of Daniel falling apart too much for him. Daniel whines when Max slides out of him, but quickly snuggles into his side when Max collapses next to him.

Max nuzzles into Daniel’s hair, prompting him to raise his head. Max catches Daniel’s lips in a kiss, before pulling away to say, “That was amazing, baby. But are you ok? You said in the car you wanted to feel it tomorrow, but I wasn’t too rough, was I?”

Daniel laughs, stroking his hand over Max’s chest, “No, babe. That was perfect, exactly what I wanted. You did wear me out though.” 

“Hmm, I could go for a nap. We can shower in the morning before crepes.” Max says, wrapping his arms around Daniel, who reaches back to toss the blankets over their naked bodies.

“You and your crepes. We’ll have to run a mile after breakfast.” Daniel giggles, resting his head on Max’s chest.

“Yeah, but it’s worth it.” Max mumbles, but Daniel is already asleep. They don’t wake up until the sun hits their faces in the morning.


	6. Karaoke Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know, y'all. It just happened. As always, feedback is appreciated.

They’re in Tokyo, on Sunday night, after a race that was, frankly, blah. So, all the drivers (except Lewis, who is no fun) are all out at a tiny karaoke bar that Kimi payed to close so they could have it to themselves. It’s a baller move, but that’s Kimi. They play around for a couple of hours, drinking and singing group songs, when someone suggests that they play a game. And Daniel doesn’t know who says it, but someone suggests that they each do a karaoke song that reminds them of their teammate. The kids are all for it, and Daniel is terrified. He can’t think of a single song that reminds him of Max that isn’t a love song. 

He just starts doing shots with Kimi, almost hoping he blacks out, because at least then he doesn’t have to sing. Someone else throws out the idea of doing the team order as the reverse of the constructor’s standings. Thank God. That buys him more time for shots. Daniel pays very little attention to the stage, just concentrating on drinking and trying to carry a conversation with Kimi, who is not chatty tonight.

“Daniel! It’s your turn!” Checo calls from the stage. Daniel chokes on the sip of water he’d just taken, but Kimi is there to save the day, pounding him on the back until Daniel stops coughing.

“Oh, no, that’s ok, I really don’t need to.” He stammers. Everyone’s eyes are on him, but it’s Kimi, again, that convinces him to go.

“It’s ok, you go. Max won’t hold against you too long.” the Finn says, before settling back in his chair. Daniel takes a deep breath, one last shot, and heads to the stage.

It takes him a few minutes to settle on a song, but he finally finds one, and god forbid anyone takes a video of this.  _ ‘Fuck it. I’m just gonna do it.’ _ He thinks, before climbing onto the stage.

“The day I first met you, You told me you’d never fall in love, but now that I get you, I know fear is what it really was” Daniel keeps his eyes trained on Max, who is lurking in the corner, talking to Carlos. It takes until the second verse for Max to really start to understand what’s happening. Daniel knows he’s making a creepy amount of eye contact, but Max is staring back at him, and Daniel can’t look away. He keeps singing, watching Max’s face as the song progresses, but Max nailed his poker face at birth, and Daniel has no idea what he’s thinking.

“Don't wanna break your heart, Wanna give your heart a break, I know you're scared it's wrong, Like you might make a mistake, There's just one life to live, And there's no time to wait, to waste, So let me give your heart a break” Daniel can feel everyone’s eyes on him now, but his gaze is still locked on Max, who is starting to get a bit red.

“'Cause you've been hurt before, I can see it in your eyes, You try to smile away, some things you can't disguise, Don't wanna break your heart, Baby, I can ease the ache, the ache, So let me give your heart a break, your heart a break, Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break, There's just so much you can take, Your heart a break, Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break, Oh yeah, yeah, The day I first met you, You told me you'd never fall in love” 

The song finally comes to an end, and Daniel just stands there, every eye in the room trained on him. And then, Max starts to walk toward him, face red, and all Daniel can think is  _ ‘This is it. He’s going to punch me in the face, and then he’s never going to speak to me again, and I’ve just ruined everything.’ _

Max reaches the stage, and Daniel holds his breath and closes his eyes, waiting for the blow to come. His eyes pop open in shock at the feeling of Max's warm hands setting around his face gently. Max is staring at him, an almost amused look on his face. Daniel is even more shocked at his teammate's actions when Max leans down and kisses him.

When the kiss ends, Daniel is still in a state of shock. He can hear himself sputtering, trying to form words, and Max giggling softly, and everyone else clapping and cheering, and a wolf whistle that could have only come from Kevin. But he has no idea what's going on.

"Ok, Daniel?" Max asks, breath warm on his ear.

"Did you just kiss me?" Daniel stammers out.

Max chuckles, "I did, yeah. Are you alright with that?"

Daniel's out of body experience comes to an end as he realizes that this wasn't just his imagination. "Yeah, yeah, it's fucking perfect, actually. Can we do it again?" He asks, completely focused on Max.

Max's lips are on his in an instant, and this time, Daniel returns the kiss with gusto, pouring his whole self into it. They break apart, out of breath, and are forced to turn their attention to the crowd around them. They're surprised at the lack of surprise on the faces of their fellow drivers. Kimi smiles from his seat at the bar and just raises his glass at the happy couple. Dan and Max spend the rest of the night curled up in a corner booth, listening to the rest of the grid (minus Lewis, who is no fun) act like idiots on stage.


End file.
